Wisconsin-Superior captures second-straight UMAC men's soccer postseason title

Wisconsin-Superior captures second-straight UMAC men's soccer postseason title

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SUPERIOR, Wis.---The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) men's soccer postseason championship game had a familiar feel as the University of Wisconsin-Superior and the College of St. Scholastica faced off for the fourth year in a row Saturday.  

This time, though, the No. 1 Yellowjackets got to host the game on their home field after winning the program's first regular season title. Saturday, the Yellowjackets defeated the No. 2 Saints for the second time this season to capture their second-consecutive postseason championship and conference automatic qualifying (AQ) bid to the NCAA championship.

| Tournament Site | Box Score |

During the regular season, the Yellowjackets defeated and tied the Saints, but knew a win wouldn't be easy against their rivals. Fortunately, for th Yellowjackets, their high-powered offense got going quickly when Blake Doyea scores his second-consecutive goal to open a game for the Yellowjackets in the postseason. In the 15th minute, Doyea scored on a setup from James Bruce that would give his team the lead through the remainder of the first half. 

The Saints responded in the second  half though when Darby Henderson headed in his second goal of the postseason on a set up from Jordan Finneran into the left side of the net in the 54th minute to even the game 1-1 with a lot of time remaining. 

The Yellowjackets eventually took back the lead for good on a goal by Bruce in the 67th minute when he headed in a cross from Blake Perry. Eric Watson then added a security goal just over two minutes later with an assist by Miguel Ocampo to make the score a final 3-1. 

Watson led the Yellowjackets offensively with four shots, while Bruce and Perry each had three. Dalton VonKaenel made four saves in goal for the 'Jackets. Finneran led the Saints with four shots and Corey Bulheller recorded six saves in the loss. 

With the game-winning goal and an assist in the final, Bruce was named the Tournament MVP. He also added a pair of goals in the 'Jackets' semifinal victory. With the win, the Yellowjackets extended their unbeaten streak to 19-straight games and improve to 18-2-1 on the season. The Saints finish with a record of 11-8-2

The Yellowjackets will learn their postseason fate Monday at 12 p.m. in the Division III men's soccer selection show on ncaa.com.
 

Playoff Schedule
Quarterfinal Round – Monday, Oct. 29
No. 5 Crown ties No. 4 Minnesota Morris 2-2 (Crown advances on penalties) | Box Score | CC Recap | UMM Recap |

Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Oct. 31
No. 1 Wisconsin-Superior def. No. 5 Crown, 6-2 | Box Score | CC Recap | UWS Recap |
No. 2 St. Scholastica def. No. 3 Martin Luther, 4-1 | Box Score | CSS Recap | MLC Recap |

Championship – Saturday, Nov. 3
 No. 1 Wisconsin-Superior def. No. 2 St. Scholastica, 3-1 | Box Score | CSS Recap | UWS Recap |
 

All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the UMAC Men’s SoccerTournament page. Keep up with all of the tournament action on Twitter and Instagram using #UMACchamp.